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T-Mobile G-Slate: a tablet with 3D recording, red-blue 3D playback

T-Mobile and LG have unveiled the G-Slate, an exclusive new tablet with an 8.9-inch screen, 4G HSPA+ support, and 3D stereoscopic video recording. The bummer: you'll have to dig out your red and blue glasses to view 3D on the device.

It’s always tempting to jump on a new trend, but it’s not always wise. LG is fervently trying to play catchup in the smartphone and tablet markets. It’s strategy: 4G and 3D. Today, the electronics maker unveiled the G-Slate, a T-Mobile exclusive tablet capable of accessing the carrier’s 4G HSPA+ network and recording 3D video. There’s a catch, however. The device can only display 3D using the old school red and blue stereoscopic display. Yep, get those red and blue glasses back out of the cereal box.

The G-Slate will run on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) and its “3D capable” screen is an odd 8.9 inches, bridging the difference between small 7-inch tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and larger 9.7-10.1-inch tablets like the Apple iPad and Motorola Xoom. On the inside, it boasts the tablet-friendly 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 32GB of internal storage, 720p playback on device, 1080p external playback, a gyroscope/accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, and video chat capabilities over T-Mobile’s “4G” network.

Aside from HSPA+ high-speed support, the G-Slate’s big differentiator is its rear-facing 5MP 3D stereoscopic camera-array (with LED flash), which is basically two cameras that sync together to record video in 3D, much like the human eyes work together to produce 3D in our daily lives. The device can record 1080p HD video. According to CNET, it can record 3D at 1080p, but PC Mag implies that 3D recording will be at an unspecified lower resolution. Sadly, unlike the Optimus 3D smartphone LG recently showed off, the G-Slate cannot actually play the content back in its full 3D glory. To do that, you’ll need to export your video to a 3D-capable external display of some kind. The G-Slate can only produce 3D of the uncool and very dated red and blue variety. Hopefully it will come with some paper glasses…

No pricing has been announced for this U.S. T-Mobile exclusive tablet, but it will release sometime “this spring.” We should learn more about the device at the Mobile World Congress Feb. 14-17.